Jay Batson’s TechScene maps Boston’s growing tech community

This morning, Jay Batson, the co-founder and former chief executive at Acquia and an active startup mentor, launched a volunteer project he’s been working on for awhile, Boston TechScene.

TechScene is an interactive map that gives detailed information on almost every tech company in the Boston area. Batson first came up with the idea to have a detailed map of Boston’s tech ecosystem while realizing that, as he said in an interview, “The sense that there is a lot going on, but it is hard to get a grasp of it.”

In a blog he wrote last year on his site, Startup DJ, Batson noticed that there seems to be a growing shift of tech companies from the suburbs to downtown Boston. In the blog, he proposed an official branding of the corridor surrounding the Red Line, as The Boston Tech Line. He believes the movement of startups close to MBTA stations between Central Square and Broadway (I’d say even further out, like Alewife to Broadway), needs more attention and needs to be owned by the tech community.

The TechScene map furthers his thoughts on the recent build up of downtown tech startups. “The key is to show how dense the tech community is in urban Boston,” he said.

Batson put it this way on the TechScene blog: “The shift of tech from Rt. 128 into the city is dramatic when you see this. It’s a key advantage Boston has over other tech areas. You can take the subway, bike, or even walk to a potential partner’s office – or to the local coffee house.”

Batson is also trying to draw attention to how vital the tech community is becoming to Boston as a whole. “I hope this helps City Hall (in all the respective cities shown here) understand the impact that the tech community is having on their city,” he said. “Just look at the amount of capital being invested in tech, and the number of jobs created.”

Batson worked with volunteers Ted Healey, Ryan Tremaine, and Ryan Johnson on the project. “Our goal is to bring the community together by helping everyone see where everyone else is,” he said.

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